24 JUL 2010

This was a visiting day in Saskatoon so we were busy but not a lot to talk about. We spent time re-organizing stuff in the car. Yes it has got mixed up despite my incredible plan of organization! Actually we had to take the backpacking mixture of things and set up for car camping. The drawers in the back of the car for clothes are finally getting some notice – and liked (even if I have to say so myself).

Then off to do some shopping. Nothing exciting to report except to learn that Lewis does mix up addresses occasionally – 105 is not the same as 150 but we managed to use our blackberries to sort that out and find the CAA store for maps. Finally we can see where we are going. GPS is good only if you know where your destination is.

Have you ever noticed that when you are visiting someone and decide to go out for lunch they very politely ask you “where would you like to go?” We have no idea about options and this usually leads to a long discussion about what is available or possible, where it is located and how long it would take to get there. Finally someone thinks to ask, “What would you like to eat?” and then the hosts pick the place. I think next time I will just answer the first question with saying what I would like to eat and jump to the end of the conversation. Well Sharon finished work and was able to join Wes, Lewis and I for lunch at a really nice place so all worked out great.

Lewis and Sharon had purchased us tickets to Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan performance. Also this week was the Taste of Saskatchewan so our later afternoon and evening were planned. The Taste of Saskatchewan is at the park and involves restaurant merchants set up in tents.

They have small portions of 3 items from their menus and for a small fee you could sample. We walked around and listen to the live bands and tried a variety of samples from different restaurants. Where were they at noon when we tried to decide where to go?

Walking along the Saskatchewan River is a real delight and is one of the prettiest places to spend a warm evening (yep no rain today – we are setting a new record I think with a rain free day in Saskatoon).

One of the most interesting features we discovered (actually Lewis and Sharon already knew about it) was the water park where the river system for Saskatchewan Rivers (north and south) are carved into the pavement from the Rockies to the drainage into the Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. Along the way are markers for all major cities along the rivers. This is very creative and informative. Kudos to the one who thought of it.

The play was excellent – Merchant of Venice – and really raised questions about anti-semantic and business practises of Shakespeare’s era. Regardless the acting was excellent and we really enjoyed ourselves – thank you Lewis and Sharon for the tickets.

There was a full moon and the evening was warm. We headed home to sit on the patio with the new arbour built by Lewis and enjoyed a relaxing visit until midnight – yes we all stayed up that late. What a relaxing and enjoyable day this has been. Tomorrow is more of the same.

Note most pictures were taken by my BB camera and are poor quality.  I learned to always carry my camera with me even if it seems inconvenient for quality pictures.